★ An extremely rare and important 'as' of Otho from Antioch ★

SYRIA, Seleucis and Pieria. Antioch. Otho, 69. 'As' (Bronze, 24 mm, 7.68 g, 12 h), Mucianus, legate, CY 117 = 69. IMP•M•OTHO CAE•AVG Laureate head of Otho to right. Rev. EΠI / MOYKIA/NOY ANT/IOXEΩ/N ET ZIP within laurel wreath. McAlee 318. RPC I 4217. Extremely rare and of great importance. An exceptionally attractive example, by far the finest known. Light roughness, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.

This coin is part of a very rare dated series in the name of Otho naming the governor Gaius Licinius Mucianus in Greek on the reverse. As the commander of the Syrian legions, Mucianus was a key figure in the civil war of 68-69, in which he first acknowledged Otho and Vitellius as emperors, but then switched sides to Vespasian and marched on Rome in his ally's name. Having arrived in the capital, the general disposed Marcus Antonius Primus, the defeater of Vitellius, and forced the Senate to acknowledge Vespasian as emperor, ruling together with Domitian in Vespasian's name. When the emperor finally arrived in Rome, Mucianus stepped down, but he was held in high regard and held the suffect consulate twice in 70 and 72 in reward for his service to the Flavians.